Reddit reviews Wagner Spraytech 0282018 1-Gallon Wallpaper Steamer for Wallpaper Removal
We found 8 Reddit comments about Wagner Spraytech 0282018 1-Gallon Wallpaper Steamer for Wallpaper Removal. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Electric wallpaper steamer; uses only tap water, no chemical messEasy way to remove vinyl, painted, and multiple layers of wallpaperLightweight durable plasticIncludes reservoir and 8-by-11-inch steam plate, 6-foot power cord1 gallon reservoir; 5.6 pounds; 1-year home-use warranty
Another tool you may be able to rent or buy is a wallpaper steamer:
https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Products-1-Gallon-Wallpaper-Steamer-x/dp/B0009XEL4O
As an old house lover (and fellow old house owner), I'm begging you to please restore those windows! It can be done!
I'm making this response extra long and detailed since this question comes up from time to time. Hopefully it can be a resource for others.
But I say this as a guy who bought a real wreck of a house where the previous owner had let everything go. We needed to fix all 45 openings at once as part of a major rehab, and after 6 weeks of effort, about $3000 of experimentation (including taking a week off work and hiring two people to help me), I finally gave up and put in vinyl windows. It completely broke my heart, and my house is uglier because of it. But sometimes, an old window is just too far gone to save. But in that process I learned a lot and I'd like to share a few things.
OK, on to your questions.
General resources and tools I found useful:
You can get a spiky tool that will puncture the wall paper and make it possible to either spread a wallpaper release agent or steam the wallpaper off.
I don't know anything about any of those products, but figured they would give you a place to start more research.
EDIT: you will probably need to skim coat some areas of the walls and retexture.
If it is paper-like, get a wallpaper remover (like this: http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-0282018-Steamer-1-Gallon-Wallpaper/dp/B0009XEL4O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418328051&sr=8-1&keywords=wagner+wall+paper+steamer) and let it do it's thing on small sections at a time.
My Fiancee and I (really her though :) ) removed lots of glued-down linoleum paper backing after scraping up the top part. Worked great, just took a while with the steamer and a good putty knife.
http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-0282018-Steamer-1-Gallon-Wallpaper/dp/B0009XEL4O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420737039&sr=8-1&keywords=wagner+wallpaper+steamer This is the steamer that is pictured. I bought this steamer myself. It was worth every cent. I believe it was 2-4 times faster (compared to Fabric Softener and hot water) and much cleaner. You can always sell it on craigslist when you are done with it.
I had really good luck with a wallpaper steamer. It heats the water really hot, in a plastic square. You hot it in one place for 20-30 seconds, then scrub with a cleaning liquid. It's not the fastest process, but it worked really well. One of these things:
https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-0282018-Steamer-1-Gallon-Wallpaper/dp/B0009XEL4O
It's not a process you really want to repeat, so I concur with sealing it well, once it's clean.
http://www.amazon.com/Wagner-Products-282018-1-Gallon-Wallpaper/dp/B0009XEL4O
First get This and then use this